Spyro: A Light Shines in the Darkness Book 1
by thadudeman
Summary: Spyro and Cynder find their love for each other, soon after Malefor's defeat. However, a new enemy has risen up out of the shadows- His son, Malafron, master of the mind. Will Spyro become corrupted and the realm fall? Or will a light shine?
1. Decisions, decisions

**Authors Note: This chapter has been nagging me for so long! It wasn't well written, it was rushed, and most of all, it was a HORRIBLE way to introduce this epic story.(Yes, it will get epic, just you wait! :) Enjoy this not so crappy chapter improvement!**

A Light Shines in the Darkness…

Spyro fell back, overwhelmed by the awesome strength of Malefor. The larger dragon laughed at the figure before him.

"Is that all you've got? I expected more from the purple dragon!"

Spurred on by his words, Spyro charged forward, horns first, hoping to drive Malefor into a retreat, but instead, the larger dragon rolled to the side, and at the same time striking Spyro on his back with his tail. Spyro yelled in pain, and flew forward, falling onto the ground with a thud.

Malefor laughed. Spyro rolled onto his back, to see Malefor advancing. He shot a stream of ice onto him, but it merely melted as the Dark Master blew fire onto it. Spyro felt helpless at his predicament. Nothing he did could stop Malefor. He laughed again.

"You have failed to fulfill your destiny. Now you will die!"

Spyro could only watch as Malefor jumped into the air and dived down, horns first, straight at Spyros' belly, driving his horns into his heart.

"Aaaaaaaggghhh!"

Spyro awoke from his nightmare, and quickly sat up, gasping for air. His eyes grew wide as he relived his nightmare in his head, paranoid. Where was Malefor?

"Spyro?"

Startled, he slowly turned his head, and saw Cynder lying next to him, looking at him worriedly. He breathed a sigh of relief. It was only a dream.

"What was that?" she asked. "Is something wrong? Did you have a dream?"

Spyro exhaled deeply, a look of relief on his face at the sight of Cynder in front of him. "Yes," he said, "It was only a dream."

Cynder snorted. "Huh, more like a nightmare, the way you were screaming. What was in your dream? It must have been pretty awful, to make you yell out like that. I could have heard you a mile away from here!"

Spyro shook his head wearily. "No, I'd rather not talk about it. It was… so real…" Spyro shuddered, picturing Malefor in his head. "It was him. I dreamed of Malefor. It all ended with him diving down like a hawk right at me." He shuddered. "It was frightening."

Cynder sat up, giving him a peck on the cheek. She smiled, trying to comfort him. "It was just a dream, Spyro. Not reality. We've already defeated Malefor, despite how real it may seem. Your probably still lingering on the same fears you had before his defeat. There's nothing to worry about. Go back to sleep, Spyro."

Spyro turned to face Cynder, comforted by her words. He smiled at her. "Thanks, Cynder. I will."

They both fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

The sun rose into the sky, awakening the world from its long slumber. The sun's mighty summer rays fell upon Spyro, who was still sleeping deeply in the middle of the wide field. He awoke, feeling the sun glaring down on him, its beams of light filling his body with warmth and energy. Spyro shielded his eyes from the sun with his hand, and got up slowly, stretching his wings and back legs. He peered down at Cynder, and saw that her eyes were still closed, and she was breathing softly. He took a note that he should be more quiet, seeing she was still asleep, and turned his back on her.

Spyro was startled as he heard her voice behind him. "I'm awake now, you know. I have been for a long time." she stated flatly. He whipped his head around behind him, to see her eyes wide open, looking straight at him.

"Oh." He said sort of dumbly. "Sorry."

Spyro was dumbfounded as Cynder began laughing. "Sorry? For what?"

Spyro thought about this for a moment. He shrugged his shoulders groggily. "I don't know."

This only made Cynder laugh more. Spyro blushed a little bit, feeling stupid. However, he found it impossible to suppress a smile, and pretty soon after he was laughing with her. The joke enlightened them to the start of the day more quickly, and after the laughter had died down, they set off to the south, flying like a pair of hang gliders over the valley surface.

Cynder called over to Spyro as they flew. "When will we get to see the Guardians?" she asked him. He nodded his head in front of him.

"In about two days. The dragon temple in the swamp isn't too far off from here."

Cynder gave a small nod of recognition back to him, and faced forward.

Spyro looked back at her, thinking about his past occurrences with her at his side. He thought back to all of the times he had been with her, all of the times she had fought with him against evil. She had grown a bond to him, and that bond was unbreakable. He had grown feelings for her, but was it the same for her, too? What if…

Then he remembered. Right before he had pieced together the world, he had heard a voice.

"I love you."

That's when he knew. There was no doubting it. He rehearsed what he was going to say to her in his head, then hesitated. Should he ask her now? What if…

Spyro decided. It could no longer wait. It was time.

"Hey, Cynder?" he called over to her.

Cynder turned her head to Spyro. "What?"

"I want to tell you something. Something important. Can we land?"

Cynder nodded her head. Spyro and Cynder descended, landing on a grassy meadow. Cynder looked at him inquisitively.

"What is it, Spyro?" she inquired. "Is it about what happened last night?"

"No, no it's not." He responded.

Spyro began to tell her what he had rehearsed alone, finding it difficult to say in front of her now that the moment had come. "Well um…" He began, "Ever since the day of Malefor's defeat, things have been different between us." He said to her. A subconscious thought popped into his head. There was no going back now.

"Yes? Go on." said Cynder.

"Well, it's just, um…" He began again. "I was wondering, um…" He couldn't quite get the words out right. "Will you marry me?" he blurted out, most unrehearsed. A thought plunged into his head.

_Stupid! What was that?_

Cynder was silent for a moment. Spyro began to wonder if she'd refuse. His mind began to sink.

"Yes!" She said, also abruptly.

Spyro was taken aback at the sudden response. Before he knew what hit him, Cynder was hugging him tightly. She looked Spyro in the eyes, tears welling up and falling freely down her cheeks.

"I thought you would never ask!"

Spyro felt himself carried forward toward Cynder. At this, they embraced, kissing, overwhelmed with joy. They were going to be married!

After they broke, they began flying once more, back to the dragon temple, filled with happiness.

Long had the ring of fire been quenched after Malefor's defeat, and the land had begun to heal itself from the burned and scorched landscape. The volcanic soil had already begun to grow plants in its fertile embrace, attracting insects and small mammals to move into the healing land as well. When Malefor had been in control there, the land was turned into a wasteland of fire and ash by his own corrupt powers. Now, the fields and trees were coming back. Grass was growing, the lava and fire was receding. All was beginning to mend…

Out of the blue, where the ring of fire once was, a flame appeared on a tuft of grass. Nobody had lighted it. It had randomly appeared.

Steadily, the fire spread, and worked its way to another tuft. At the same time, the lava slowly inched its way forward, back to where it once was. The fire was growing back…


	2. Revival

Chapter 2

Spyro and Cynder could now see the dragon temple in the distance, rising out of the trees and mangroves of the swamp like a bull in a china shop.

"Almost there, Cynder."

She nodded wearily in response. It had been a long one and a half day flight to arrive at the dragon temple this soon, pushed by their eagerness to tell the Guardians of the news. They had flown nearly nonstop. Now, they flew the last short distance, and landed next to the first ramp of the temple. They were breathing hard, enervated from their long journey.

"You tired?" He asked her, still panting.

Cynder nodded slowly, her facial expression and the slowness of her nod already answering his question before she even spoke. "Yes, Spyro, All I want to do right now is sleep."

He nodded as well, agreeing with her wholeheartedly. "Yeah," he gasped out, "Me too."

Cynder asked him a question, her eyes piercing his like an arrow.

"Spyro?"

He responded almost immediately. "Yeah, Cynder?"

"About us marrying and all..." she began, "What are Cyril, Volteer, and Terrador going to think? What if they... don't want it to happen?"

Spyro smiled, reassuring her. "Don't worry Cynder. They'll love it. Why would they not? I mean, after all we've been through..." he trailed off.

Cynder lifted her head, a tired smile on her face. "You're right, Spyro. There's nothing to fear. I'm sorry I was doubtful."

Spyro nuzzled her head against his lovingly. "Don't be sorry. I understand why you're nervous. I am, too. This is a big thing, after all."

Cynder gave another weary nod to Spyro in recognition, and proceeded to the entrance of the temple. Spyro closely followed. When they approached the gate, Cynder hesitated slightly, and motioned over to Spyro with her head, stepping back slightly to allow him in front of her.

"You go in first, Spyro. I'll follow you in."

Spyro did so, passing in front of her. He walked up to the door, and for a few moments, stared at the large, red circle in the center of the door. Spyro inhaled deeply, filling his lungs with air. Cynder watched as Spyro abruptly exhaled violently, bringing with it a mighty sheet of fire which blasted onto the doorway. The four other circles glowed red as well, unlocking the door. Spyro promptly ceased breathing fire as the door slid open, and they both walked inside the temple.

Cyril, Terrador, and Volteer stood around the pool in the center of the room. They whipped their heads around to face the door startled by the door suddenly opening. Cyril stopped in the middle of something he was saying, apparently already discussing something beforehand. They were shocked to see Spyro and Cynder in front of them, walking into the temple side by side. A short period of silence came over the scene, until Terrador managed to utter, "You-You're back?"

An awkward silence ensued, causing Spyro and Cynder some discomfort, until Volteer broke it with his incessant chattering.

"You're back here? Oh, this is stupendous, marvelous, oh how wonderful! It's good to see you two again! What happened? How are you? We can see the ring of fire is gone, and the volcano now ceases to spew ash and molten debris from its maw! Were you utterly victorious against the forces of evil?"

Cynder smiled. "Still using an excess amount of vocabulary I see, Volteer?"

Cyril laughed. "All the same since you have been gone. He's nearly driven us out of the roof with his constant babbling!"

At once the awkwardness was broken. It was if Spyro and Cynder had never been gone. Cynder answered Volteer's question.

"And yes, we were victorious. Malefor is never to return to the land."

The guardians began instantly commending them for their victory against Malefor.

"Well done, you two!"

"Evil has been vanquished! Long live the era of peace!"

He saw a familiar glow out of the corner of his eye. He grinned when he heard a familiar voice call his name.

"Spyro! Hey, buddy! You're alive!"

Turning his head, he saw Sparx flying toward him, a look of happiness on his face. Spyros' face lit up as well.

"Sparx! I haven't seen you in forever! How are you? You doing fine?"

"Yeah yeah, I'm doing fine, but what about you? What happened with Malefor? I can't believe I'm saying this, but how is Cynder?"

Spyro hesitated slightly at the mention of Cynder, but answered, "Well, after a long, would I say _painful_ battle with Malefor, me and Cynder defeated him. And uh… yeah."

"I'm, uh… fine, thank you." said Cynder." She was hesitant to mention the news as well. She still had her doubts about their opinions.

Cyril stepped forward, and looked at the two inquisitively.

"Is something wrong? Are you two tired? You just seem a little off, is all..."

"Well, yes, we're tired, but um… that's not why… um… We're, um…"

Spyro finally could not take it any longer. He couldn't stand to see Cynder this uncomfortable. It was now, or never. He stepped forward.

"We have decided to marry." He stated abruptly.

Sparx's jaw dropped. The other guardians stood, staring at Spyro. Silence. Spyro and Cynder felt awkward, and blushed slightly. The quiet lasted about ten seconds, before Volteer, once again, broke it.

"Well, that's wonderful news! Although, I must say, after all you've been through together, I would expect so as much. Well done, and congratulations on the love you two share! Bravo!"

Terrador shook his head admiringly. "Ignitus was right. You two do share a bond that is unbreakable."

Cyril could not find the right words to say, and Sparx were still in disbelief. Spyro sauntered over to Sparx, who stared at Spyro as if he had two heads. Sparx stuttered in disbelief of what he just heard.

"Y- You're marrying Cynder. Wh- Wh- Why?"

Spyro turned his head and looked Cynder in the eyes.

"Because I love her."

Cynder blushed deeply. Sparx sulked.

"What on earth could make you…?"

"That's enough, Sparx!" Cyril piped up, "None of us understand their reasons, only they do, and the least you could do is show some support in the most important decision of their lives!"

Sparx still stared in disbelief. "Uhhh…"

Spyro rolled his eyes at Sparx. He motioned to Cynder.

"Come on, Cynder. Let's get some rest. We're very tired; could you show us where a room to sleep in is?"

Terrador motioned to a small staircase. "There's a dormitory that's open in the third hallway on the left. Would that suit?"

Cynder nodded her head. "Yes. Let's go, Spyro."

Spyro followed her up, glad to sleep after their long, grueling flight back home.

Meanwhile, Sparx turned to Terrador.

"At east my fat lard of a brother is getting married to _somebody_."

His comment was greeted by hard glares from all the guardians. Sparx shrugged his shoulders.

"Hey, can't blame a poor little dragonfly for an opinion, can you?"

Volteer ventured out onto the outside region of the temple, looking at the nighttime sky, filled with stars. The moon shone brightly, casting its light onto the world below. All that Volteer could see was totally serene, completely peaceful in all aspects. He heard the soft chirruping of crickets echo out over the land, and the gentle breeze rustled the leaves of the trees, creating a calm, warming feeling in the dragon guardian. Volteer sighed softly, and began to turn around and head back to the temple, when something strange caught his eye.

Curious, Volteer turned back around to face the sky. A tiny, flickering light showed itself in the distance. A candle?

No, it wasn't a candle. But what was it?

Volteer partially closed his eyes to give himself a better view of the strange light. It had gotten bigger. A campfire, perhaps?

No, that could not be. It was too far away. And too big.

"Wait," said Volteer to himself. "Is that another one?"

Another light had formed up, a little bit to the right of the first one. The first one had already grown three times its size. A steady glow had formed between the two spots of light.

"What the…"

Suddenly, Volteer spotted two more splotches of light like the first two. Another glow formed between them, and lit up the night sky.

"No…" Volteer began, his eyes riveted on the scene. "It cannot be!"

The lights that Volteer saw, he realized were made of fire. They _were _fire.

"No! This is… it's a monstrosity!"

Volteer flapped his wings once, and zoomed across the short gap from the deck to the side door. He landed, sliding through the main room, stopping short of Cyril. He asked rather teasingly, "My, my, Volteer! What are you in such a hurry for?"

Volteer jerked his head to the side door. "Why don't you come and find out for yourself, hmm?"

**Authors Note: I tried to improve this chapter, but it was hard. I hope these first two chapters were better than they were. I hope you liked it, despite them being very similar.**


	3. Don't you love me?

Chapter 3

Spyro was dreaming once again. He was in the sky with Cynder, with an expansive field of grass below them. The wind blew over the field, causing the grass to sway back and forth like the waves of an ocean. A mountain rose up in front of them, surrounded by an evergreen forest. Snow capped the top of the mountain, and the coolness of the air created a feeling of peace within him. Spyro turned his head to Cynder.

"I love you." He said aloud. She smiled back at him.

"I love you too, Spyro." She responded without hesitation.

They glided over the grassy field, enjoying each others presence.

Spyro turned his face to look in front of him, when something odd captured his attention. He could see what appeared to be a flame in the distance. Peering at the flame, it flickered gently, like a candle in a dark room. Spyro felt himself relax at the sight, despite it being out of place, and his muscles grew free from all tension, himself enjoying the warming feeling it gave him. Once again, he turned his head to Cynder.

"Do you see that?" he asked her. "Isn't it beautiful?"

Strangely, she didn't respond. Instead, she continued to look in front of herself, seemingly ignoring him. Her sapphire eyes were devoid of any recognition to Spyro. He called her name again, wondering why she didn't answer.

"Cynder?"

Spyro turned his head to face frontward again, when the flame suddenly expanded. Spyro flinched as the firelight was so great, it hurt his eyes to look at it as it suddenly rose miles high. Despite its light boring into his eyes, he could not tear his gaze away from the sight despite his eyes hurting, and the fire whooshed to even greater size, increasing tenfold until an entire wall of fire was in front of him. The gently flicker was replaced with a roaring inferno. To his horror, the mountain suddenly blew its top, and lava rained down the sides. The evergreen forest was destroyed in seconds by the rapidly increasing pool of lava and brimstone. The wall of fire grew even more, almost rising taller than the mountain itself until it engulfed his entire vision. Spyro watched as the fire spread to the field underneath him, incinerating the grass and completely engulfing it in a matter of only a few moments. Spyro, yelled out in panic, and turned his head to Cynder. He was baffled that she looked just like she did before, completely normal, her face free of any emotion. She was completely unaware of what was going on.

"Cynder!"

To his horror, everything around them faded away, until a murky onyx cloud encased the environment around them, absolutely pitch black. As quickly as the fire expanded, it became no longer visible and faded away, sinking with everything else into the endless void that now surrounded them. Spyro watched in horror as Cynder melted away like wax on a candle, her bodily form dripping down into the abyss of darkness below. Spyro cried out in anguish and horror. A tear formed in his eye, when he heard a voice. It entered his brain unlike any presence he had experienced. Its icy cold breath covered his being, possesing his thoughts. The voice was soothing, comforting, and almost sympathetic.

"Sleep Spyro. Sleep…"

Spyro for some, strange reason, suddenly felt the urge to close his eyes. He fought it, but he felt himself begin to lose the battle as his body cried out for sleep, for rest. The unknown voice captured his mind, sucking the will from him like a vacuum. For some reason, he wanted to give into the invitation, to rest away his troubles…

The voice invited him again. "Go on, Spyro. Sleep…sleep…"

Spyro continued to resist the voice, but his longing for comfort at Cynder's disappearance was impossible to ignore. He felt himself begin to close his eyes, longing for rest from his troubles, and the darkness seeming to invite him into its endless embrace…

No! He could not abandon Cynder! He could not leave those that he loved to the horror of what he had just witnessed!

"No, Spyro. Sleep! Give into it! Laze away your troubles. You've had so much hardship, so much anguish. Relax, abandon your troubles, sleep…"

His body wilted, and his mind stopped fighting. Spyro gave in. He closed his eyes, welcoming the darkness around him…

Spyro began to fall down asleep in midair. Wind whistled over his body as he sank into the abyss. It seemed as if Spyros' will itself had faded away. All he wanted was to rest, to sleep. Nothing in life seemed to matter anymore. He once again heard the soothing voice, seeming to invade his being entirely, enveloping him in a mist of soothing words. Spyros' entire being was now devoted to the mysterious voice, longing to hear its comfort in the endless blackness…

"Yes, Spyro… sleep, just, like my _father_!"

A pair of purple jaws cut through the darkness, filled with razor sharp teeth. Spyros' eyes opened briefly, to gaze into the gullet of the creature from which the voice originated. The jaws clamped down onto Spyros' prone form, and his blood spilled down into the abyss, becoming lost in the darkness.

"Raagh!"

Spyro screamed out in terror, still living his nightmare in reality. He jerked forward into a sitting position, throwing the sheets off of him. He was breathing heavily, and he felt his heart beat wildly in his chest. His eyes were wide open, seeking out any danger that might befall him, paranoid by the nightmare he had just witnessed, expecting to fall asleep, only to have the same jaws clamp down on his body as he slept, killing him.

It took some time for Spyro to calm down, and realize that it was only a nightmare. His heartbeat slowed, and his breathing became more calm. His eyes drooped slightly. Spyro shook his head roughly, trying to shake his paranoia away from him. "Get a grip, Spyro! It was only a dream, just a dream. Everything is fine now, there's no need to be worried about what just occurred." He thought, trying to comfort himself. Turning his head, he saw Cynder, still sleeping peacefully, unaware of Spyros' predicament. Spyro exhaled a sigh of relief.

Spyro heard a knock on the door of their dormitory. Tensing his neck muscles to brace himself for possible danger, he answered in a low whisper.

"Come in." His brow furrowed as he wondered who could possibly knock on the door this late at night.

To his surprise, Terrador opened the door, a look of worry and confusion written clearly on his face. Cynder groaned as she was awakened by the light from the hallway seeping into the room, coming to rest on her face. She rolled over, opening her eyes.

"Spyro? What's going on?" said a grumpy Cynder. She rubbed at her eyes, the light glaring into her pupils. Spyro smirked slightly. He found it ironic that his scream hadn't awakened her, but Terrador did by merely opening the door. Spyros' mind ceased from wandering and his attention turned to Terrador as he spoke in an urgent tone.

"Get up, you two. There's something that both of you need to see."

Spyro and Cynder descended down the staircase, trying in vain to keep up with Terrador. Cynder nodded her head groggily.

"Is it really so important that you had to wake us up in the middle of the night to show us? Can't this wait?"

Terrador shook his head. "No, this cannot wait. It's too important. But before I show you, I need you to answer one question." He stopped walking, and so did the two young dragons.

Spyro and Cynder tried to remain as apprehensive as possible, but it was hard on them, considering they had been woken up in the middle of the night despite being already exhausted from the long journey back. Terrador took another step closer to them. Both listened in.

"Are you positive that Malefor is dead?"

Spyro and Cynder nearly scoffed at the question. What sort of joke was this? Cynder voiced her mind to Terrador, clearly annoyed.

"Yes, he's dead!" yelled Cynder, infuriated. "Spyro and I made sure of it! That's what you lugged us down here in the middle of the night for?" she scowled.

Spyro butted in. "We saw him die! He was sucked into the planets core by my very own ancestors!" he added, also angry. He could not believe the guardians did not trust him and Cynder enough to believe that they had defeated Malefor. His eyebrows bent down into an irritated expression. Cynder's did likewise.

Terrador turned around, and walked to the door, looking outside. He beckoned them to follow.

"Come. You need to see this. I cannot explain it. Perhaps you can?"

Spyro was the first to follow Terrador to the door. Cynder followed. Terrador stepped to the side, revealing what Volteer had seen earlier.

"Perhaps you could explain _this_."

As Terrador stepped to the side, Spyro saw. His jaw fell open, and his eyes grew wide with disbelief. All feelings of irritation were completely forgotten. As Cynder rounded Terrador, her eyes became riveted to the scene. Both could not believe their eyes.

In front of them, the wall of fire continued to grow. The flames licked at the air, and they grew higher and higher, becoming more impenetrable with every passing second. The fire lit up the night sky, and nearly blotted out the moon. The infamous ring of fire had returned. The volcano, which had long ceased its activity ever since Malefor's defeat, was now erupting again, showering the regions below with a thick blanket of smoke, ash, and worst of all, magma. Spyro heard Cynder give an intake of breath. He was shocked as well.

"But… that's impossible." said Spyro shakily. "We, but he… He died! I saw him die! We, He can't be, he…"

Terrador shook his head soundly. "I'm sorry, Spyro, but the only explanation for this revival of the ring of fire can mean only one thing: Malefor is somehow still alive. There is just no other explanation!"

But Spyro would not hear it. "We saw him die, there's no way he survived! Right Cynder! We…"

Cynder was not listening. Tears were running freely down her cheeks. Ever since the day she had told Spyro she loved him, things had never been the same. When he had proposed, everything had seemed so certain to her. And now, with this newfound information, she felt nothing was certain, not even her and Spyro. All that work, all of that time, simply wasted. She could not bear to think that. Involuntarily, she started to cry softly, tears falling down her cheeks. Life itself seemed hopeless.

Spyro wanted to comfort her, but his nightmare kept invading his mind. The ring of fire rising in front of him. The flashing jaws. The darkness. Cynder melting away. If this had come true, what of his dream? Would the rest become reality as well?

Spyro began to shake uncontrollably, the icy coldness of fear gripping his heart like a vise. The nightmare invaded his mind, the horrific detail of everything he saw, it was coming true.

'This can't be true… This can't be…"

However, Spyro could see the wall of fire in front of him. It was true, whether he and Cynder liked it or not. He shouted at Terrador, a look of terror plastered on his face.

"Just leave us alone for a minute!" he shouted. Terrador nodded his head in acknowledgement, glad that he didn't have to see the two young dragons like this anymore. He turned around and left, without another word. Spyro shook his head wildly, once again thinking to himself.

"Come on, Spyro! Cynder needs you! Are you going to wallow in self pity and fear, or are you going to help somebody in need? Be a purple dragon, Spyro, not an infant babe afraid of the dark!"

With this self reprimand, Spyro snapped out of his fearful state. He turned to see Cynder, still crying, looking at him sadly. Spyro, still trying to shake to cold grip of fear from his own mind, began to try and comfort Cynder.

"Cynder? Are you alright?"

Cynder felt another tear trickle down her cheek. "No, Spyro, I'm not alright. Everything we did to stop Malefor, everything we lost, everything we fought for, it's all been for nothing, Spyro! Malefor somehow has come back from the dead! Why else has the ring of fire grown back? Why else would the volcano have come back from dormancy again, Spyro? Somehow, unknown to us, Malefor has returned from the dead! Everything we did was for nothing, Spyro!"

"Nonsense!" Spyro shouted. "Our love was not for nothing! Doesn't _that_ matter to you? Have you forgotten what we've been through? Have you already forgotten? Was our love for nothing, because if it was, then and only _then_ would our journey have been useless! If our love is for nothing, than it's your choice for it to be that way, Cynder. I love you. Not even _this_ will change that. Don't you love me, Cynder?" his voice became gentler as he progressed.

Cynder felt another tear course down her cheek, only this time, it was of shame. She hadn't thought of the situation that way, mainly because she was too focused on herself and caught up in her emotions to think of Spyros' own feelings. She looked down to the ground, ashamed of herself.

"Yes, Spyro. I do love you. With all of my heart." She began to answer. "I am sorry that I made it seem like I don't. Our journey was not useless. It has brought us together. I assure you, this will not change that." Her gaze shifted from Spyro to the ring of fire as she spoke. "I'm very sorry."

Spyro walked closer to Cynder, and kissed her maw tenderly. She kissed him back, glad to not have hurt him. Spyro broke, and then placed his head next to hers.

"Together, we will overcome this newfound evil, Cynder. Whether it be Malefor, or anybody else, we will overcome it. I swear it!"

Cynder reared her head back to face Spyros'. Her loving gaze pierced his.

"How, Spyro? How?"

Spyro thought about this, long and hard. He shook his head.

"I don't know, Cynder. I don't know."

**Authors note: I apologize for the rushed feeling of my last two chapters. I could have done better on them, but I was in a hurry to get them done instead of done right. I tried harder on this chapter, and I hope you like it! Please, Review! Let me know what I can improve on!**


	4. Malafron

Chapter 4

Deep underneath the earth, magma had long ago leaked out of the bottom of the earth separate of the volcano, where the mantle and the crust had met. Unseen, it slowly ate away at the rocky soil like a chisel, chipping the earth away as pressure built up within the volcano. When Malefor had reigned over the land, even the volcano itself had become corrupted by his immense power, and had erupted on his command, so great was his darkness. This lava had fueled the ring of fire. With this, the small leak exploded outward as the pressure built up, and the force of the explosion channeled the lava down into a main stream, blowing a hole in the side of the volcano. When Malefor had been defeated, the magma gently sank back down, the roaring eruption dying, which isolated the lava outside of the volcano. Eventually the lava hardened into a peculiar, wavy lava rock. The ring of fire, as a result, too sank into nothing, the lava that fueled it simply hardening into the odd, fluid looking rock. The lava had drained down the side depression as well, creating a maze of naturally made underground tunnels. Now, evil had made their home here…

Volcanic soil is extremely fertile, and because of the fire disappearing, the land began to heal itself rapidly, and grass, trees, bushes, and other foliage began to take over what used to be a barren wasteland of fire and ash. All became at peace.

That is, until one, fateful day in which a new evil was awakened…

An egg, one last, remaining egg, hatched into the arms of a grublin.

Long had the armies of Malefor been scattered across the far north regions, outside of the realm. Their lives were devoted to Malefor's flesh and blood, bent by his will. With Malefor's death, their purpose had become confused. But not lost.

For indeed, this new hatchling was of Malefor's flesh and blood. And this is what they had been awaiting. The birth of a new devotion!

From the second of his being born, Malefor's old will was revived within the young hatchling, and the evil force that had bent the region to its core was remade. The volcano erupted once again, and the ring of fire was revived. However, hardened lava had formed at the very back of the tunnel, blocking the lava from escaping down the tunnels once more. The tunnels stayed empty. However, everything that had grown back was destroyed. The land was enslaved to the same will, lived through in another being.

Malafron!

Through these very tunnels, Desraa walked with purpose down the catacombs. His master had called to see him, and despite his high rank as general, the cheetah felt nervous. When his master called, it was never a friendly chat or a bit of small talk that he wanted. Oh no, it was always very important, and the cheetah had no idea what was on his master's mind at any given time. All he could hope was that he remained in favor in Malafron's sight.

Desraa turned left down another corridor, to see two grublins slacking off at guard duty. At seeing Desraa, they immediately stood to attention, hoping he hadn't seen them. In fact, the cheetah warrior had seen them, but he had no time to reprimand them. His master was waiting.

Desraa turned one last time, this time to the right, to see a wide, stone door, heavily guarded by four crossbowmen and four grublins armed with spears. The cheetah waved them off.

"Stand aside. My master wishes to speak with me."

At this, they instantly obeyed. Desraa strolled upward, to face a strange looking knob in the shape of a brain. He grabbed it, slowly turning it to the left. The door flew open, sliding to the right, into the wall. Desraa entered the chambers of Malafron.

The cheetah warrior stepped in, only five paces, and then kneeled onto the ground, bowing his head down to the ground in respect. Desraa's voice resonated around the room, as he shouted out,

"Hail, Lord Malafron, son of Malefor! Ruler of the underworld! Controller of darkness! Destroyer of light! Master of the mind!" As he said this, the door behind him slid shut.

Desraa kept his head down, trying to keep as still as possible. Another voice, very young, spoke out.

"Save it, Desraa. On your feet, I need to discuss something with you."

The cheetah immediately followed Malafron's command, and stood up, without another word. In front of him, Malafron rose up.

To the casual observer, the dragon looked almost comical for his position. Malafron stood only around one meter high, and was actually smaller than Spyro and Cynder. He was only about a year old, and his voice sounded absurdly young for a ruler. His appearance was odd as well. His head and neck were solid purple, but his body melted from a light purple at his head to an extremely dark mauve, darker than Spyro, at the tail. He was not a true purple dragon, but he treated himself as such, reliving his fathers' spirit through his physical form. Malafron stood onto his naturally made throne, a waterfall of lava rock. The hardened lava had completely blocked the volcano from cascading its magma down the expanse of tunnels, and not a single space remained for the volcano to enter into. The lava had come to rest here in this chamber, hardening into the liquid looking stone.

Malafron stared into Desraa's eyes. He felt uneasy, waiting for his master to speak. Malafron laughed to himself.

"Be relaxed, my general. I need to ask you a question."

Desraa was immediately alert, awaiting Malafron's every wish His head rose from the ground, to looking straight at Malafron. The son of Malefor peered into Desraa's mind, and he asked him,

"How many are at our disposal?"

Desraa immediately answered. "About thirty thousand strong."

Malafron pierced his mind. He spoke truth. The young ruler smiled.

"Excellent." He purred. "That will be enough."

"Enough for what?" asked Desraa cautiously.

Malafron shifted his gaze from the floor to his general. His eyes dilated as he thought of his plan.

"The dragon city."

Desraa's eyes grew wide. "You're planning to take over the dragon city!"

Malafron rolled his eyes. "Found that out all by yourself, did you? Yes, that's part of my plan."

Desraa's eyebrows rose upward as Malafron said 'part'.

"Uh… part, milord?"

Malafron swished his tail back and forth, obviously pleased that Desraa had asked the question.

"Yes…_ part._ Now, listen carefully to what I am about to tell you. As you know, I was born without any elements. A mutation, I assume. However, I would never trade physical abilities for the power I have now. My power is of the mind!"

Desraa had experienced this power firsthand, and was still experiencing it. After all, Malafron had convinced him of his cause. That was why the cheetah was here in the first place, instead of in Avalar, where he had been cast out of.

"Of course, you already know this." He continued. "This mind is the manner into which my main plan will go into effect. I have already delved into Spyro's mind. His bond with Cynder is strong. Because of this, I could not take over his mind directly. So, instead, I have slowly worn away at his mind as he rests. I still am.

"How, you might ask? I have simply discovered his fears as a result of entering his thoughts. He fears to lose Cynder. He fears to lose all those that he loves and cares about. Because of the land being destroyed once again by the fire, he now fears Malefor more than ever, fearing that he has returned, an fearing that, if, he and Cynder could not defeat him last time, they wouldn't be able to this time. So, in turn, I have plagued his mind with Malefor's face, with Spyro being defeated by him."

"Finally, Spyro fears giving in to darkness. I have sent him nightmares as he sleeps, of him giving in, letting go, and falling away from those he held dear. Of him desiring evil. The best part is, all of these are _my_ thoughts, but Spyro thinks they are his. And eventually, they will be lived through him as a result of my power. His fears are introduced in his nightmares, and they are as of consequence, lived in reality. He will be made into a useless wreck within time. I will break his bond to his love, his world, and then, when he is weak, I will strike. The only thing stopping me from exercising these fears for my own purpose is Cynder. She is scared of this too. Because of her fear and Spyro's love for her, he seeks to comfort her, distracting him from his fears. Because of this, I have tried to enter her thoughts as well, but she has grown a mightily strong bond with Spyro. I cannot delve into her thoughts, because her fears are recognized through Spyro. She is comforted by his presence. She knows how evil possesses the mind, and she's experienced it firsthand, thanks to my father. So, I will have to control Spyro to control her. This is my plan, my full plan. But taking over the dragon city will boost it in two ways, one, disheartening both Spyro and Cynder, causing their minds to weaken, and two, as a distraction to what I really want, which is them. Malefor's goal was to destroy the world, but his method failed. My goal is to destroy it as well, but instead, I will have both Spyro and Cynder at my side as the world falls into chaos and hopelessness." Malafron concluded. "_This_ is my plan."

Desraa shuddered. An only one year old dragon with the voice of a child had just told him the most masterful plan he had ever conceived in his life. If this came from him as a child, than what would he be like in his adult years? It seemed impossible.

Malafron had heard the cheetah's thoughts, and smiled to himself. He spoke again.

"So, with this said, I will need you to lead the attack of Warfang."

Desraa had heard what his master said, and swelled with pride. "Thank you milord! I will not fail you!"

Malafron smiled. "I dearly hope not."

Desraa could not help but shudder at what Malafron had just said. He dearly hoped not as well.

"Gather the army, and in three days time, report back to me. I will be waiting, my general."

Desraa got up from his kneeling position, and the door slid open. The cheetah warrior walked out, anxious to do his master's bidding. Malafron waited until the door shut once again. He sighed.

"Spyro, Cynder, you will be mine…"

**Authors note: Sorry if this chapter is hard to follow, I know it's a lot to take in. Please, review! Let me know what I can improve on!**

**P.S. I do not own Spyro or anything involving the franchise, but I do own Desraa, and Malafron. Please ask me first if you want to use them!**


	5. Three paths

Chapter 5

The Valley of Avalar was in springtime. The trees were budding, blossoms of white, red, yellow, and blue creating a rainbow covering the landscape. Bees droned around, landing on and dusting on the precious pollen they carried onto the flowers, attracted by their vivid colors. Small animals wandered the meadows, out of hibernation, and glad to be free from the icy grip of winter. They ate nuts, fruits, roots, and leaves as they sought to fill their bellies with food after their long hibernation. All of Avalar was alive in the season.

All except the cheetah village.

Hunter sat against a wooden post, his hood over his head and his bow in hand. He eyes peered underneath the hood, scanning the area. He took in all of his surroundings, burning them into his memory like a hot iron. He tried to savor his final moments here. Hunter's melancholy expression was hidden from view by his cloak as he dreaded what was coming. They were leaving Avalar.

Hunter's eyes turned to focus on a bee, which was slowly buzzing about, making its way to a blossoming tree. Hunter kept his focus on the bee as it landed on a flower, scattering pollen all over the center. The bee went to one after the other, pollinating each one with greater care than the last. Hunter felt calmed by the sight of the bee, just doing what it was made to do. For the first time since Chief Prowlus had gave them the news of their evacuation, Hunter relaxed.

Unfortunately for him, Hunter was broken from his trance at the sound of a loud clang. Turning his head, Hunter saw the source of the noise. The town bell had gone off, with Chief Prowlus next to it inside the belltower. His sword was unsheathed and up in the air, and had obviously just struck the bell with the flat of the swordblade a moment ago. Hunter grimaced. The time had come.

Chief Prowlus waited until all heads in the village turned to face him. His sword stayed up in the air, calling attention to himself. Soon everybody in the village formed into a crowd around the belltower, all except Hunter, who stayed sitting against the wooden post. His eyes turned to Prowlus, but his body remained motionless, appearing as if he didn't hear the bell. Prowlus, however, knew that Hunter was watching and listening. He knew him too well not to know that. The cheetah leader shifted his gaze from Hunter to the crowd in front of him. They were attentive to him, awaiting the inevitable. Their eyes showed great sorrow, a paleness that was impossible not to notice. Chief Prowlus gave a deep sigh. He was no happier about this than they were.

"Citizens of Avalar!" began Prowlus, "Ever since the day the ring of fire dissipated, and the volcano ceased to erupt, I know we all thought that the age of peace had begun. But, only two days ago, the volcano once again spewed its flame over the land, and the ring of fire was fueled once more. Everything grew back to the way it was, as if nothing had happened."

"Something has happened, and neither I, nor anybody else here, knows how this is possible. One thing that is rest assured is that nobody here is safe anymore. My ignorance of the evil surrounding us last time this happened nearly destroyed us. Had it not been for Spyro and Cynder, we would not have survived. Meadow would have died as well." He stated, pausing. He looked everyone over, examining their responses. Their faces lit up at the mention of the two young dragons, especially Hunter's, which allowed a ghost of a smile to creep onto his lips. Meadow also smiled, near the middle of the crowd. Ever since that day, the cheetah village had considered Spyro and Cynder as heroes. Prowlus continued.

"I will not make the same foolish error. I will no longer ignore the evil that is coming, that is _here_. We must leave the Valley of Avalar!"

All of the smiles faded almost instantly. Silence hung on the air. The moment had arrived.

"We leave in three hours' time. Pack only your most necessary provisions. Carry anything that can serve as a weapon with you. We make for the dragon city by noon."

Hunter watched as the crowd dispersed, not eager to do their Chieftain's bidding. Getting up, he walked over to Chief Prowlus, who was getting down from the belltower. He sheathed his bow onto his back. Prowlus gave him a halfhearted greeting.

"Hello, Hunter." He said without much enthusiasm. Hunter replied back "Hello."

Prowlus decided to cut to the chase. "Look, Hunter, I know you're not happy about this decision to leave. But you told me awhile back that I could no longer ignore the evil around me. I will not do so again. I know it's hard, Hunter, but even you know that this needs to be done. We cannot stay here."

Hunter sullenly nodded his head. "Yes, Chief. We all know this must be done. I cannot blame you for trying to help our people survive. The revival of this evil is most unusual. None of us like this, but it's necessary. I am sorry for showing disdain towards you for this the last few days."

Prowlus gave a smile. "That is most alright, Hunter. I forgive you. These last few days have been very hard for us all. After all, this is our home. But we cannot possibly be safe here knowing that Malefor is still alive. They will overcome us if we were to stay. The dragon city will provide us shelter and protection for the time being."

Hunter furrowed his brow in thought. "But Prowlus, wouldn't Warfang be a major target in his conquest of the realm? Wouldn't we still be in danger there?"

Prowlus sighed, and then shook his head slowly. "There really isn't any option, is there? Even so, we would still be safer there than we would here if we went under attack. It's our best bet."

Hunter nodded his head. "Yes, it is. You are right. Despite us having few options, that is the best one here. We'll just have to take it as it comes."

Prowlus also nodded his head, and turned around to gather his own provisions. "We leave in three hours. Gather your provisions."

Hunter waited until Prowlus entered his home, than patted his bow and small pouch at his side.

"I have all I need right here." He smiled to himself. He proceeded to sit at another post, with hood over head, trying to enjoy his last hours in Avalar, his home.

Spyro and Cynder were in the same meadow that he had proposed to her before. The sunlight glistened upon the dew dampened grass, reflecting the light like mirrors. The birds sang upon the new day like a chorus of angels. Spyro strangely felt himself moved by the beauty of it all. He turned to Cynder, saying the same precious three words.

"I love you."

She turned to him, smiling broadly.

"I love you too, Spyro."

Suddenly, she got up, and began to walk away. Spyro squinted his eyes in confusion. He called back to her.

"Cynder? Where are you going?"

She looked back at him sadly. "I cannot be with you, Spyro." Without another word, she turned her head back around, walking away. Spyro swiftly got himself up, running to Cynder, who was leaving him.

"No, Cynder! I thought you said you loved me! Don't leave me!" he cried.

A wall of fire erupted out of the ground, between Cynder and Spyro. The purple dragon skid to a halt, stopping just short of the new wall of fire. He sobbed as Cynder faded away on the other side of the fire.

"No, Cynder! I love you! Don't leave me here alone!" he pleaded.

But Cynder was not listening. Instead, she resumed walking, not even bothering to look back to Spyro, who stood there, shocked. She faded into the fire, lost to sight.

Spyro felt everything around him turn dark once more. All faded away into the void of shadow surrounding him. The sun turned into a dripping blood red, the only thing remaining besides the endless darkness. Spyro stared at it, intrigued by its light in the endless void. Spyro heard a voice, its icy chill piercing his thoughts.

"She has left you. Your love is lost in eternal darkness. There is no hope for you now."

Spyro fought it, trying to pry the voice from his mind.

"Leave me alone! Let me go!"

The voice spoke out one last time. "As you wish."

Spyro suddenly felt himself falling, sinking into the abyss. He was powerless to move, and felt the darkness close in around him…

Spyro's eyes snapped open. He felt his heart pound in his chest like a drum. Spyro shook his fearful thoughts from him. As he slowly sat up, he heard Cynder's voice.

"Spyro? Is everything alright? Did you have another nightmare?"

He sat back against the wall behind the bed, angry at himself for having awakened Cynder.

"Yes." He answered. He heard her speak again.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked him. He gave a long, deep sigh.

"No, I can't." he said to her. She frowned.

"Spyro, you can't hide your feelings forever. It's not healthy. Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?"

"Yes."

She sighed. Spyro didn't want her to share his burdens, but she did want him to. She wanted him to share them with her. She didn't want to see Spyro like this, and she wanted to help, but Spyro wanted to keep them to himself.

Cynder gently lifted the covers off of her, and then got out of bed. Sunlight was streaming into the room, indicating morning had arrived. She stretched her wings, and turned her head to Spyro.

"Well, it's morning now, and Cyril told us to meet them downstairs at sunrise. He said it was important. Come on, Spyro!"

Spyro got up as well, and together they both exited the room and descended down the stairs. He voiced his curiosity.

"I wonder what this is about now?" He said to Cynder. She shrugged.

"Something important. That's what Cyril said to us last night. I don't know, Spyro, but I'm not sure if I want to, either.

As they rounded the corner, they saw three guardians standing around the pool. Sparx hovered around Cyril's head. Terrador's voice boomed around the room.

"Come in, you two."

They did so, and sat down on the floor. Terrador began.

"As you obviously know, the ring of fire has returned, and the volcano has come back from dormancy once again. Because of this, we know that evil has been revived again." Spyro and Cynder waited for Terrador to continue, but Volteer interrupted.

"In these troubling times, safety is most important indeed. We all regret knowing this, but we are not safe here. We have already been overrun in this very temple before. Surely if we went under attack, we alone would not last. Through this matter, we have decided to relocate elsewhere."

"Yes, yes, to the city of Warfang I might add. There is the safest place within the realm. We will be safer there than here, that's for sure."

"So, we're leaving? Since when?" asked Spyro.

"Since last night, Spyro. I'm sorry about the short notice, but we need to leave today. It is better to leave sooner than later, and the sooner we leave, the better. Once again, I… We are sorry for the short notice."

"We're leaving now?" Spyro said, surprised. "We just got here, Cynder and me!"

"Don't worry, Spyro. You can catch up on your love life later." Spyro shot Sparx a hard glare. Cynder giggled briefly.

"We will leave shortly. Is there anything you brought with you on the way here?"

"No." They both answered in unison. Terrador nodded his head.

"Good. Then we leave now."

Desraa approached the chambers of Malafron. He turned the brain shaped knob to the left, and entered as the door swung open. He walked in five paces, and was about to drop onto his knees and recite his titles, when Malafron interrupted.

"Stay on your feet, Desraa. Is my army ready?" he asked eagerly.

Desraa gave a single nod. "Yes, milord. I have rallied them together in three days' time as you have ordered. They await your command.

Malafron gave a pleased sigh. "Good, Desraa, my general. You have done well. Now listen to what I am about to tell you."

The cheetah general listened in. Malafron spoke.

"The two dragons, Spyro and Cynder, will be there. They seek shelter from my wrath, but instead, they will experience it firsthand. Those fools! Do not allow your soldiers to kill them, but injure them if you must. As long as they do not die, this plan will go into full effect. Fail me, and you will wish you had never been born."

Desraa felt a shiver down his spine. Malafron did not make empty threats.

"Proceed with your army into the underground passage. You will emerge on the other side of the wall of fire. Take the siege engines in last. Take no prisoners. Leave no one that you encounter, except Spyro and Cynder, alive. Destroy the city."

Desraa gave a nod. "Yes milord!"

He turned, exiting the chambers, and to the army awaiting outside of the catacombs.

He exited the tunnels, to see an army, as far as the eye could see, stretching across the burnt landscape like a blanket over the land. Desraa arose onto a tall rock, hearing the massive army give a mighty roar at his arrival. He rose his hand, and the army gradually died down in volume. Desraa shouted out among the grublins, "Today, we make for Warfang!"

It took some time for Desraa to calm the blood frenzied army to quiet down. He roared out once again.

"Follow the orders of Malafron! Take no prisoners! Show no mercy! Destroy the city!"

"Leave only the two dragons, Spyro, and Cynder, alive! Capture them, bring them to me. As for everyone else…" he paused, "Leave none alive!"

The frenzied cries became deafening. Desraa screamed out among them.

"Forward, march!"

A mighty column of soldiers began to march, ten men wide, and ten men deep per column. Each column separated into their own unit, each one marching into the grand tunnel before them. The mighty army marched, underneath the ground and invisible, awaiting the moment where they would emerge into the field of battle.

Thus, three paths were drawn to the dragon city of Warfang, two seeking protection, and one seeking to destroy it. 

**Authors Note: Chapter 6 coming soon! **

**This story is book 1 of 3 of a planned trilogy. I hope you're liking the story! Please, review!**


	6. Two Paths Meet

**Authors Note: Yeah, sorry if it took me awhile to make this chapter(School really sucks). However, it's a long one! Enjoy!**

Chapter 6

The citizens of the Valley of Avalar walked none too vigorously down the cool, damp underground tunnel to the dragon city of Warfang. Each of them held torches in their paws, lighting up the dark passageway. Everyone was sullen, not glad to be leaving their homeland. Even the chief was hesitant to his own decision; He had delayed the evacuation of the village an extra night, much to the happiness of the village, and they had left in early morning. Leaving was proving to be harder than they had previously thought. They were weary from the constant trek through the tunnel, and had been traveling for many hours.

Prowlus could not help but notice the sadness in the others' eyes. Avalar had never been abandoned by his tribe before, and he was beginning to see its effects on them. He knew he had made the right decision, but at what cost?

Hunter kept ahead of the group, looking for signs of them getting closer to the dragon city. He examined the dust, the temperature of the cave, the moisture on the walls- it all went into account within his head. Over the silence, an annoyed voice rang out, echoing around the cave.

"Hey, when are we gonna get there? This is taking ages! When are we gonna get there, Hunter?"

Without turning his head, Hunter responded nonchalantly, "When we get there."

He snorted. "How specific. Thank you, Hunter." He replied sarcastically. Prowlus turned his head to face the speaker, already knowing who it was.

"Hold your tongue, Korrow! Hunter is doing all he can to help guide us. There's no need to put stress on him."

The younger cheetah, who was named Korrow, laughed somewhat mockingly. "Guide us? It's a one way tunnel! What need do we have of a guide?"

Prowlus was about to show Korrow a piece of his mind for his disrespect, when Hunter replied back, still not showing any hard feelings toward the young cheetah.

"Well, you are right, this is a one way tunnel. However, there are many factors that indicate we are getting closer. This is why I'm in front of the rest."

Korrow scoffed. "Factors? What factors?"

Hunter gave no hesitation in his reply, almost seeming to expect the question.

"There are many things, such as the temperature of the cave. Have you noticed how it's been getting warmer the further we've progressed? That's because we are getting closer to the city. I noted that about an hour ago. Also, do you feel the draft? It's coming from up ahead, meaning that we are getting closer to the city as well. Of course, there are many other _factors_," Hunter looked back at Korrow, letting a ghost of a smile creep onto his lips, "but in conclusion, I would say less than an hour before we get there."

Korrow gave an exasperated sigh. "_Now_ you tell me. You didn't have to go through all of that explaining, you know."

Hunter smiled fully, looking back at Korrow once more. "But then you would miss the fun and educational experience if I _didn't_ tell you!" Hunter retorted teasingly. Korrow looked at the ground, trying to hide a smile. Hunter faced his head frontward, still walking ahead of the rest of them.

Prowlus shook his head. He had always admired how well Hunter got along with Korrow. Korrow was, after all, very hard to get along with. His parents had been murdered when he was only a child, and he had suffered a near fatal injury. A deep scar on his side was all that remained of it. Hunter had seen him when he had been scouring the wood of Avalar, and had dressed his wound with the herbs at his side pouch. He had brought him carefully back to the village, and upon seeing the bleeding and suffering child, he and the others gave no hesitation to accepting him into the village. Hunter had taken care of the young cheetah, and had nursed him back to health over a period of time. He had named him Korrow, and had been like a father to him ever since the day he had found him, bleeding in the woods. Korrow was now a juvenile, but Hunter still remained to be the only figure he respected fully. Not even he, Prowlus, could fully get his respect.

The tunnel curved to the left in a wide turn, and Hunter was the first to round it. A period of silence ensued before Hunter's voice echoed around the cave in surprise.

"There's light up ahead! We're almost there!" He exclaimed.

The sound of pawsteps became faster as they heard the news of their arrival. The long journey had taken its toll on everyone's spirits; they only wanted rest after traveling nonstop through the evening and night. Hunter already had exited the cave and was standing with his back turned to the group.

"Welcome, my friends, to the dragon city of Warfang."

The gloom of the tunnel gave way to wide open sky as they stepped into the light. The villagers of Avalar were awestruck by the sheer majesty of Warfang. The tall towers of the city were made golden hewn by the setting sun, with the sky was turned into a shade of yellow into pink, melting into blue. The water of the fountain reflected the rays of the sun onto the marble stones surrounding them, covering them in a pool of liquid gold. All of them, except Hunter, peered at their surroundings, rendered speechless with awe. Never had they seen anything outside of the valley. It was a lot to take in all at once.

None of them, however, expected what happened next.

Hunter's ear twitched. His eyes roved to his left and right. To his shock, he could see two moles at either side of him, with bows and arrow drawn. Hunter slowly raised his hands. Immediately, a score of bowmen appeared out of nowhere, each with an arrow drawn on bowstring. Prowlus and the rest slowly held up their hands. Hunters' eyebrows rose in surprise.

"That was rather unexpected. Quite stealthy. Done very well, I might say so myself."

"Silence!" yelled the mole on the right. "State your business!"

Prowlus almost began to speak, but Hunter intervened.

"Let me take it from here, Chief."

Prowlus paused, and then nodded his head. "Go on."

Hunter nodded his head in response. He turned to face the two moles aiming their arrows at his heart.

"We have traversed the tunnel passage from the Valley of Avalar to get here. We are from the village in the center of the valley. We have only come here to seek shelter and protection from the new evil that has awakened. We come in peace."

The mole peered into Hunter's eyes, trying to see if he spoke truth. The mole slackened the arrow from his bowstring. The others surrounding the cheetahs copied the action. The mole took a few steps toward Hunter.

"I thought as much. I apologize. We are all on extremely high alert because of the revival of the ring of fire. I am sorry."

"Don't be." Hunter replied. "I actually feel better knowing that guards like you are on the patrol. I didn't even know you were there until you were right in front of me."

The mole gave a smile, obviously pleased with the remark. "Yes, well, that is our job, no?"

Prowlus stepped up to face the mole. "Do you know where we could find a place to rest? My tribe is very weary from the long journey here."

The mole looked surprised. "I thought _you_ were the leader." He said, looking at Hunter. Prowlus frowned, and Hunter smiled.

"No, only the guide, captain."

Korrow laughed in the background. The mole spoke again, swelling his chest in pride at being called captain.

"As for lodging, go a little ways straight, then turn right onto another road. Stop at the sign that says "The Marble Inn", and then go inside. Tell the innkeeper Freehold that Captain Borros of fifth patrol sent you. You will stay for free here as our personal guests."

Prowlus was shocked. All he could utter was, "Thank you!" as the others began to walk off to the inn.

"My pleasure to give." Replied the mole as they headed off.

As they walked away from the party of moles, Meadow stepped up to where Hunter was. He looked impressed.

"Well, Hunter, only a couple of minutes and already you've made friends. You seem to be quite the charmer."

"Yes… charming enough to assert himself as chief." Prowlus commented, looking accusingly at Hunter. He shrugged his shoulders.

"That was _his_ assumption, not mine! Besides, what would _you_ have done to get free lodging at an inn, hmm? What would you have told Borros the mole?"

Prowlus opened his mouth to protest, but then he closed it. He sighed.

"I guess I would have told him to stop aiming his arrows at my tribe and, um, let us pass." His voice got quieter as he progressed. Hunter grinned.

"That sounds like something you would do. But just to let you know, that wouldn't have gotten you anywhere in that particular situation. First of all, they would not have considered you to be in the position to give orders. Moles are very stubborn and strong. They either would have shot you, or just ignored you. However, I do know how to get on their good side. They enjoy flattery, but a more subtle, subdued flattery, more honest. I really _didn't_ see them until they were already pointing their arrows at me, so I turned that disadvantage into an advantage for our own purposes."

Meadow shook his head. "Sometimes, I wonder if you'd be a good leader some day."

Hunter scoffed. "Me, a leader? No, no, I could never lead anybody. It's always just been me looking after myself. I could never lead."

Prowlus stayed behind Meadow and Hunter, listening to their conversation in silence.

"Oh really? What about Spyro and Cynder, hm? You led them out of the catacombs. What about Korrow? He thinks of you as a leader. You've taken care of him for many years. And you say you cannot lead? Rubbish!"

Hunter began to mutter, "Well, uh, it's just that, uh…" he trailed off. Meadow smiled thinly.

"That's what I thought."

Prowlus knew firsthand that, despite Hunter's lonely nature, he was a natural born leader, conversationalist, and a warrior. Chief Prowlus sometimes wondered whether he would make a better leader than he, but Hunter denied that he was whenever this conversation had come up. He was a leader; he just didn't want to admit it.

Hunter nodded his head at the sign in front of them. "We're here."

The sign hung above their heads, with a marble arch holding it up. It simply read "The Marble Inn".

Hunter grabbed the doorknob, twisting it to the left. He entered the inn, to see a small group of moles, drinking mead at a table in the middle of the room, which was the inn tavern. They were making a ridiculous amount of noise, slapping their thighs, spilling their drinks, and laughing uproariously.

"Drunkards." Muttered Hunter to himself. Prowlus passed Hunter as they entered the inn. He approached the tavern desk, to find a mole, dressed in a simple garb of a shirt and trousers tending to the bar. Before Prowlus could speak, he welcomed them in.

"Good Evening to ya!? Welcome to the Marble Inn, named after the marble bricks that built the place, not to mention the entire city! Quite clever, eh?"

Prowlus immediately liked the mole because of his jolly demeanor, and could not help but smile at him as he spoke.

"I take it you are Frenold the innkeeper? Captain Borros sent us here. He wishes that we stay here for free. He hopes you will oblige. We have little money."

The mole smiled broadly. "Captain Borros, eh? That old rascal, he sent you here? Well, you must have done _something _to please that old grouch. I'll be happy to oblige! If you're friends with him, then you're friends with me! Welcome! Although I must say, those folk over there won't give you peace." He said, motioning over to the group of moles seated in the middle of the room. They've been causing trouble here for the past week, drinking ale, getting drunk, and intimidating my customers! Especially that big one on the right. Been trying to pick a fight with someone, so they have! I just wish I could be rid of them! Just stay away from them if you can, all six of them!"

"Don't worry, we'll manage." Hunter replied mysteriously. Frenold looked quizzically at Hunter, and then began again.

"Alright, then! How many rooms do you need for tonight? I would say maybe seven with the number you've brought in here. I'll get those rooms to you as soon as possible. Would any of you care for some ale?"

The group of moles began to laugh again, spilling some of their drink onto the floor in the middle of the room and onto the table. Prowlus shook his head.

"No, thank you. I don't drink."

Frenold sulked. "Don't drink? Well, then, suit yourself. Anything to make ya happy…"

"Actually, I'll have a cup." Hunter stepped forward, holding out a coin. Prowlus looked back at him, surprised. Frenold smiled, grabbing a mug, and holding it to the flagon of ale behind him. He filled it to the brim, and handed it to Hunter.

"Here you go, my fellow! Just stay away from those guys, like I said, they're trouble!"

Korrow saw the innkeeper hand Hunter the drink. He widened his eyes, and then pushed his way up to where Hunter was, walking to the tables. He grabbed his shoulder, and pulled Hunter closer to him. He whispered loudly into at Hunter.

"What are you doing? You don't drink! You said yourself that you were against it!"

Hunter leaned his head forward, keeping his mug held upright as he whispered, "Yes, you're right, I am. But I don't intend on drinking it." He began to walk away again, still clutching his ale. Korrow spoke softly at Hunter as he walked away to a table.

"Then just what are you planning to do?"

Hunter tried to suppress a smile from creeping onto his lips. "Oh, nothing." He said vaguely. Korrow watched as Hunter sat down at the table, his mug still in hand. Oddly, he placed his hood over his head, covering his eyes, making him look rather ominous. Through his peripheral vision, he could see everyone in his tribe turn to look at Hunter. Korrow narrowed his eyes in puzzlement. What was Hunter doing?

One of the moles told another joke, and the rest roared in laughter. Hunter kept perfectly still, only moving to take a sip of his ale. Or at least it appeared to be. Instead, he only lifted the cup to his lips, and kept his mouth closed as the drink rested against his closed mouth. He put the cup back down onto the table, waiting.

The entire tavern was silent, save the drunken moles in the middle. It took them about a minute to realize that Hunter was sitting next to them. One of them, the one Frenold had motioned to earlier, turned to look at Hunter, yelling out drunkenly.

"Oi, it's hood!" the largest one shouted, motioning over to Hunter. He laughed drunkenly. "Heya, hood! You gonna finish that ale?" he motioned over to the cup in his hand. His comrades howled with laughter, equally intoxicated.

Hunter remained silent, and took another fake sip from his cup. The mole smiled dangerously.

"He's not saying anything." He said, getting up from the table. He left his cup onto the table as he approached Hunter, rounding the table which Hunter was sitting at. He wobbled slightly in a drunken shuffle, pointing lazily at Hunter.

"You respond when I ask you…" he trailed off. He gave a hiccup. Hunter looked completely relaxed, but he was as tense as a coiled spring. The mole was growing violent very fast. He truly was a menace.

"Still nothing, hood?" He yelled in a drunken rage. He began to walk toward Hunter. Still he said nothing, only taking false sips from his ale. Korrow looked directly at Hunter as if he had two heads, a look of disbelief on his face. Frenold had told Hunter to stay away from them, and there he was, sitting there while a very large and muscular mole advanced toward him. The innkeeper took a position from behind the bar, ready to spring into action if the cheetah was attacked. He had seen a few roughed up by that particular mole before, and he wondered what on earth the cheetah was doing. He was just sitting there!

The mole towered over Hunter in his seated position, and threw his mug down onto the ground, spilling the contents all over the floor. Hunter stayed seated, taking another fake sip from his mug. The mole yelled out, throwing a powerful right hook to Hunter's jaw, in an angry drunken rage.

"You talk to me when I… Daa!"

Hunter had timed his move perfectly. He threw his left arm up, blocking the blow to his jaw, and grabbed the moles' hand, bending it backward and twisted it. The mole roared in pain, and Hunter, still seated, gave a mighty kick to his jaw, causing him to go limp. He slowly pushed him away with his foot, letting go of his arm. The menacing mole crashed to the floor in an unconscious heap. Hunter got up calmly, pointing almost lazily at the remaining five, who were staring at their fallen companion dumbly.

"Get out of here, and take him out with you." Hunter motioned over to the fallen mole on the floor. They were so drunk, they actually did what Hunter said, and dragged out the bullying drunkard with them as they stumbled out of the inn.

The whole place was in shock. Hunter had moved so swiftly, some had not even seen what he had just done. Korrow stared at Hunter, in disbelief. What a kick!

Frenold approached Hunter, looking at him with a friendly smile, and holding out his hand to Hunter. "Well, with one well placed kick, you've put an end to my troubles! Thank you so much for what you've just done! What is your name? I need to know."

Hunter placed his hood off of his head, and responded with a more casual tone, shaking the friendly innkeeper's hand.

"Hunter. Just Hunter."

Frenold gave him a hearty pat on the back. "Well, Hunter, I'll start with another ale, free of charge!"

Hunter shook his head vigorously. "Oh no, I don't drink either."

Frenold looked at him strangely. "Don't drink? Then why did you buy that ale? You were drinking it!"

"Actually," explained Hunter, "I was only putting it up to my lips. It would look rather out of place if I didn't have something to drink with me, so I bought the drink for that purpose. It would look rather odd if I didn't have a drink with me at the table."

The innkeeper gave him another pat on the back. "Well, that was clever! Waste of a good cup of ale, but clever!"

Prowlus sighed. "Is it alright if we have the keys to our rooms? We are very weary from our long journey here."

Frenold clapped his hands together. "Why, certainly!" He walked over to the bar again, and reached underneath the table. He came out with seven keys. He handed them to Prowlus.

"Here you are! Nice to take a rest from all the action, eh? Enjoy your stay here! The rooms are off to the left, up the stairs."

The exited the room, and ascended the stairs to their beds. They were all exhausted. Every one of them fell into a deep sleep, reflecting on the events of the day through their dreams.

Spyro and Cynder flew over the landscape, the wind whistling past them as the glided over the surface of the earth. The sun was rising, and Spyro hadn't had any nightmares the night before. He felt well rested, and the sun shone to his right side, its rays filling his body with energy. Volteer, Terrador, and Cyril, flew alongside them, surrounding them in a protective ring. They were a little ways off. Cynder gave a long sigh, peering at the ground, which was awakening at the rising sun.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

Spyro looked up from the ground, smiling. "It sure is. But not as beautiful as you are."

She smiled, blushing slightly.

Sparx hovered alongside Spyro, keeping at pace with him. He gave a worried expression on his tiny face.

"Dang, that fire keeps getting closer and closer."

Spyro saw the ring of fire, larger than ever. The volcano top was clearly visible, spewing out fire and ash like a fountain. He could not suppress a shiver up his spine. His nightmare was coming back to him: The ring of fire growing, Cynder walking away from him, everything fading into darkness, what did it all mean? Would this all happen too? The fire had returned, so what of the rest?

Spyro shook his head, trying to ignore the thoughts from creeping back into his head. Cynder saw the motion. She looked concerned as she called out to Spyro.

"You okay?"

He nodded his head, trying to put on a tough face against the matter. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Cynder turned her head back, still worried. He hadn't been himself over the last few days. He'd been having nightmares, and ever since the day the ring of fire had returned, he had become… different. He hadn't seemed himself. She was determined to find out why.

She heard Terrador give a shout back to them. She couldn't hear him.

"What?" she called back.

She waited, and then heard Terrador's voice once more. "I said, we're almost there!"

Everyone, not just Spyro and Cynder, but even the guardians were excited. They had flown for two and a half days to get here, and were happy to see that they were finally here. They began their descent to the ground, the green meadow of grass rising expansively beneath them. They landed, keeping their eyes fixed on the sight that lay before them.

Warfang rose above the skyline, its tall marble towers releasing a shade of pink onto the ground below. The rising sun was right above the city, outlining the walls in a shade of dark hue, and the sky flowed from the sun, to a shade of orange, to a very light pink, and finally, to a blue, creating a river of color in the atmosphere. Sparx gave a low whistle.

"Behold, the dragon city of Warfang."

The guardians began to walk toward the gate, and were followed by Spyro and Cynder. Volteer began to speak, motioning his head toward the city.

"Let us make our presence be known here."

They reached the gates. The large wooden doors towered over the dragons, dwarfing them. A small period of silence ensued before Cyril shouted out, his voice echoing over the walls.

"Hello? Are there any chaps there?"

Spyro could faintly hear footsteps on the top wall. A loud voice called down from the walltop.

"What is it… who's… who's there?"

Cynder giggled. They had woken up the guard of the walltop, who had been asleep before Cyril had called out. He peered over the wall, still groggy.

"Who are y- what?" The mole looked startled. He rubbed his eyes, not believing what he saw. He gave a gasp of surprise.

"The dragons… they… the dragons!"

He ran away from the edge of the wall, forgetting his tiredness, and called down below.

"The dragons of old have returned! Open the gate! The dragons have returned to Warfang!"

A long period of silence ensued. They waited for the gates to open. Suddenly, they heard the doors creak. The gates were swinging inward gradually, and the inside of the city was now visible. Spyro could clearly see the inside of the front courtyard, and to his shock, a massive crowd stood in front of them, staring at all five of them with their eyes wide. They instantly began to talk amongst themselves at seeing the dragons. Terrador nodded his head at his companions.

"Follow me. Go in single file."

Terrador took three steps forward, and Spyro, Cynder, Cyril, and Volteer followed. The young purple dragon felt uneasy at so many people staring at him. The moles were mainly focusing their attention on him. He heard his name mentioned numerous times. He tried not to look back at them, and decided to face his head forward, away from the staring eyes. Sparx, however, was eating the attention up.

"Yes, it is I, the mighty Sparx! Gaze upon me!"

Cynder rolled her eyes. "They're not looking at you. I doubt they even know who you are. Give it a rest."

Sparx looked indignant. "Not know who _I_ am? I'm Sparx, savior of the Atlawa!"

"Um… if I recall, that was me." interrupted Spyro.

Sparx sulked. "Oh, hush!"

They continued to walk through the huge crowd that had formed around them. A hornblast sounded, echoing out around the whole city.

"They sure are making a big deal out of us arriving. I wonder why?" thought Cynder aloud.

"Well, the last time we were here, the city was under attack, and by destroying the Golem, we saved the lives of everyone in the city. I guess that's why everyone is making a big deal out of this." replied Spyro.

"I suppose so." She said back to him.

The horns continued to blare as they walked through the center of the crowd, echoing out around the city, blasting their triumphant toll for all to hear.

Hunter's eyes snapped open. A loud, prolonged bass startled him into alertness. He slowly lifted the sheets off of him.

"A horn?"

He slowly got up out of bed, and reached for his bow. He walked over to the rack, and picked up his hooded cloak, and quickly began to put it on him.

Another hornblast pierced the air, rattling the windows slightly. Hunter took his bow and sheathed it on his back. He then proceeded to grab his quiver of arrows, and slung them over his shoulder, just as Korrow, who had been sleeping in the bed next to Hunter's, opened his eyes.

"What's…? What's going on?" he said groggily. Hunter hastily replied, "I'm not sure, but whatever it is, it has to be important."

Yet another hornblast sounded. Korrow rubbed at his eyes, throwing off the covers. He had become instantly alert.

"What is that?" He said worriedly. "What's going on?"

"Like I told you, I don't know." he responded back. "But I'm going to find out. Stay here."

Korrow looked exasperated. He shot Hunter an expression of disappointment.

"Stay here? But I want to come with you!"

"Listen to me, stay here!" Hunter said resolutely. "I need to let Chief Prowlus know about this. I don't want you to get hurt. You stay here, okay?"

Korrow only nodded his head, a dejected look clear on his face. Hunter hurriedly exited the room, and closed the door behind him. The horn sounded once more. Korrow had a determined expression on his face. He was coming whether Hunter wanted him to or not. 

Hunter exited the room and entered the hallway, to see many of the cheetahs already out in the hall, chattering softly. They were apparently confused about the horn sounding as well. He saw Chief Prowlus through the rest of the crowd, and fast walked over to where he was. He immediately cut to the chase.

"I'm going to go figure out what's going on. I'll go to the lower city and check it out. Can you stay here and watch the rest of the tribe?" he asked without hesitation.

Prowlus nodded his head. "I'll watch after them. Go and find out what's happening. We will stay here."

Hunter nodded his head, loosening the bow off of his back for an easier draw. "I will."

He turned around, and quickly weaved through the others in the hallway, and descended the stairs.

Korrow slowly and silently opened the door, taking a peek at the hallway. He saw that Hunter was not there. He slowly closed the door and quietly walked down the stairs after him.

Hunter trod down the roads, his feet pounding against the marble bricks. He was booking it down the road, following the steady trickle of residents who were going down the same way he was. The horn resounded again, hastening Hunters steps all the more.

Meanwhile, Korrow tried to stay out of sight behind Hunter, fast walking behind him a good distance, trying not to be seen, or lose sight of Hunter.

Hunter, unaware that Korrow was following him, turned around a corner of a building. The sight that confronted his eyes shocked him.

He saw a massive crowd, taking up the entire square. Hunter looked around them, trying to see if he could find a way through. He couldn't find a route through. Should he turn back?

Korrow saw Hunter stop dead in his tracks. He squinted, looking at Hunter. What was he seeing?

Korrow gave a sharp intake of breath, as Hunter turned his head backward to face his direction. The young cheetah slammed himself up against the building, hiding behind a small tree. He breathed softly, attempting not to be seen.

Miraculously, Hunter had not seen him. Instead, he began to walk in his direction, but hesitated. He turned back away from Korrow, but stopped. He shook his head, and walked away from Korrow's position once more. Hunter rounded the corner, disappearing from Korrow's view. Once he was sure Hunter was no longer there, the young cheetah unglued himself from the wall and hurriedly walked to the edge of the building. He peered around the corner, and gave a gasp of surprise. How was he going to get through that crowd?

He saw Hunter, walking determinedly toward the crowd. Korrow instinctively popped around the corner, and walked out in the open, praying that he wouldn't be seen by Hunter if he were to turn around.

Thankfully, he didn't. Instead, He disappeared into the crowd. Korrow began to run, trying not to lose sight of Hunter. He reached the crowd, and began to squeeze through them to keep up with Hunter.

Hunter slid through the huge crowd, muttering, "Excuse me" constantly. How on earth was he going to get through the crowd? Surely he was mad to have come this far.

Korrow was having just as much trouble getting through, but kept his eyes fixed on the tip of Hunter's bow, which protruded out above the crowd. He was hard pressed not to get lost in the sea of people.

Hunter continued to slide through the mass, feeling like he was only wasting his time. Finally, he stopped, and asked the nearest mole, "Hello sir, um, could you tell me what's going on here?"

He answered him over the gentle roar of the crowd. "Didn't you hear? The dragons have arrived!"

Hunter opened his eyes wide, and blood pumped to his head with adrenaline. He turned his head to the heart of the crowd wildly. Dragons were here?

"Spyro and Cynder?"

Time seemed to stand still for a few brief seconds. He felt his heart rise in his chest, thumping wildly. Hunter's eyes captured a bright flash of mauve, further within the crowd. Immediately, he knew exactly what it was.

Korrow watched as Hunter's bowtip began to move away from him at an extremely fast rate. He found himself pushing through the crowd.

"Out of the way! I need to get through!"

Hunter desperately maneuvered his way through the assembly, in the general direction where he had undoubtedly seen Spyro. Korrow kept up with Hunter as best as he could, but struggled to get through.

Hunter called out, hoping to get a response.

"Spyro! Where are you? Spyro!"

He didn't see the opening in the crowd until he was upon it.

Hunter fell out of the crowd and onto the ground, almost right on top of Spyro.

**Authors Note: From now on, you'll be seeing writing like this, not the first two chapters. I took my time on these. Hoped you enjoyed it! Please, review! Let me know what I can improve on for future writing!**

**P.S. There is going to be a HUGE twist at the end of the story. That is all I am going to say.**


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